Susan Crabtree
Articles by Susan Crabtree
White House mum on support of gay marriage in Democratic party platform
The White House failed again Tuesday to embrace the likely 2012 Democratic Party platform favoring gay marriage, even as a new national poll showed the stance is overwhelmingly popular with its party. Published July 31, 2012
GOP: White House pressuring defense industry not to warn of layoffs
Republicans on Tuesday accused the White House of trying to "intimidate" defense companies into keeping silent about major job losses if automatic military spending cuts take effect early next year, after the administration said Monday that it would be "inappropriate" for employers to warn workers of layoffs. Published July 31, 2012
New U.S. sanctions target Iran’s oil sales, financial transactions
President Obama announced new Iran sanctions Tuesday, targeting Iran's oil sales and financial transactions and warning Tehran that it will face "growing consequences" for refusing to open its nuclear program to outside scrutiny. Published July 31, 2012
Democratic platform to endorse gay marriage
Democrats said Monday their party's platform will support extending marriage rights to gay couples, marking the first time one of the two major parties has endorsed it. Published July 30, 2012
Obama ratchets up heat on House to OK Senate tax bill
President Obama is using all the weapons in the White House arsenal to pressure Republicans on taxes this week, giving his Cabinet marching orders to amplify his tax-fairness message in the coming days, while House GOP said it would allow a full vote on the Senate-passed tax plan. Published July 26, 2012
Biden goes on the attack over anonymous ‘Anglo-Saxon’ comment
Just a day after he pledged to avoid direct criticisms of U.S. foreign policy on his tour of three foreign capitals, GOP presidential challenger Mitt Romney found himself embroiled in a controversy even before his plane landed in London. Published July 25, 2012
New Obama ad aims to stanch entrepreneurship remark fallout
After two weeks of political fallout over his comments that self-made entrepreneurs aren't entirely responsible for their own success, President Obama is amplifying previous attempts to clarify the remarks with a new ad accusing Republicans of taking his quotes out of context. Published July 24, 2012
Feinstein hedges on White House leak charge
Shortly after GOP challenger Mitt Romney cited her as a source for his charge of politically motivated defense leaks from the Obama White House, a top Democratic senator tried to walk back her comments Tuesday. Published July 24, 2012
Port plan brings rare moment of unity for Obama, GOP
President Obama's latest jobs initiative — a pledge to accelerate expansion plans for five ports along the Eastern seaboard — is getting rave reviews from an unexpected corner: a handful of Republicans usually sharply critical of the president but who have also fought hard in recent years for federal dollars to help ready their ports for the flood of shipping and commerce expected by the Panama Canal's expansion. Published July 24, 2012
Gibbs: Romney’s overseas trip appears ‘built around fundraising’
President Obama's campaign is criticizing Mitt Romney's upcoming six-day overseas trip as a weaker imitation of the foreign campaign swing Mr. Obama took in 2008 and suggested that it will be light on substance and heavy on fundraising. Published July 23, 2012
Health care cash probed in lobbying
A $1 billion fund created by President Obama's health care law, which Republicans have derided as a slush fund, is under investigation for suspicions of lobbying rule violations. Published July 22, 2012
Obama aide Cutter ready to rumble with no apologies
Blond, telegenic and tough as nails, Stephanie Cutter, President Obama's ubiquitous deputy campaign manager, isn't afraid of a little made-for-TV mudslinging. Published July 19, 2012
White House misses another budget deadline
Another annual budget deadline has come and gone without a report from the Obama administration. Published July 18, 2012
Obama repackages help for small businesses
President Obama offered a series of modest steps aimed at helping small businesses Wednesday after Republican criticism that his push for raising taxes on the high earners would hurt small business caught in the IRS dragnet. Published July 11, 2012
Rich must pay more taxes, Obama tells voters
A day after demanding Washington lawmakers extend middle-class tax cuts while raising taxes on the wealthy, President Obama took his case directly to voters Tuesday, traveling to Iowa to argue that the rich should pay higher taxes in order to cut the deficit and fund his spending priorities. Published July 10, 2012
Obama strives to regain edge in Iowa
President Obama took his middle-class tax-cut message on Tuesday to Iowa, a state where some of the same voters who helped hand him a landslide primary victory and inspired the nation to embrace his come-from-behind candidacy in 2008 are experiencing a case of buyer's remorse. Published July 10, 2012
Obama avoids conflicts by dispatching stand-ins
When the politics or the visuals seem a little dicey, President Obama is showing no hesitation in dispatching Vice President Joseph R. Biden or Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to speak to groups he would rather not address himself. Published July 9, 2012
Obama seeks tax-cut extension for middle class
In an attempt to change the subject from the dismal jobs market and cast GOP rival Mitt Romney as a champion of the rich, President Obama on Monday issued a new call for Congress to extend the Bush tax cuts for the middle class and allow rates to rise on wealthier income earners. Published July 9, 2012
Civil war feared in unstable Iraq
A dramatic uptick in violence and political instability in Iraq have raised fears that Baghdad once again is tilting toward civil war. Published July 8, 2012
Violence, political unrest in Iraq fuel fears of civil war
A dramatic uptick in violence and political instability in Iraq has raised fears that Baghdad once again is tilting toward civil war. Published July 8, 2012